Certain liquid compositions are intended to be dispensed and applied in specified quantities. For example cleaning products in liquid form typically instruct the end user to dose particular volumes for a desired cleaning performance to be provided.
One simple solution to this problem is to provide a measuring container with the liquid product. However, this solution, although simple, suffers from the danger of the measuring container becoming lost or separated from the liquid container.
To address this problem, dispensing caps for liquid containers have been developed which are designed to deliver fixed quantities of liquid. As the dispensing cap is integral to the container, it cannot become detached and lost.
However, although delivery of a fixed volume of liquid may be desirable, it would be a further advantage if the volume of liquid was adjustable by the user. However, combining this flexibility with the reproducibility of a fixed volume presents a particular challenge.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,718 discloses a squeeze bottle for dispensing a liquid in a metered manner, driven by the end user squeezing the container. However, the volume dispensed cannot be varied by the end user and remains fixed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,129 discloses a dosing head for dispensing a fluid product in the form of doses of predetermined volume. U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,788 discloses a device for dispensing and dosing a product, such as a cream, gel, or milk.